“Serve the needs of others, and all your own needs will be fulfilled.”

Through selfless action, fulfillment is attained.”

(The Tao, Verse #7)

In my June 28th Blog post (Breaking Free of Depression, Contemplation #22) I mentioned the alarming increase in depression rates among adolescent girls (36% by age 17). The rates of teen suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. A recent article by psychologist Jean Twenge, who has made a career of studying generational trends, describes the powerful link research is revealing between adolescent depression and Smartphone use. This is information every parent should be equipped with! Here is a link to her article:

Dr. Michael Yapko (2017) a world renowned expert in the field of depression writes.

“More than one study has linked how much time you spend in front of a computer screen with how bad you are likely to feel. It’s not the technology itself that may be a problem for someone. It’s what the technology encourages—and discourages—in thinking and behaving that’s the potential problem. You can’t learn social skills, such as carrying on a good conversation or reading people’s facial expressions as they speak when all you’re doing is texting or emailing. You can’t develop frustration tolerance when you want answers right now. You can’t develop critical thinking skills when you just absorb whatever the screen tells you is true even when it isn’t. You can’t build a real relationship typing messages back and forth in a chatroom.”

All the more reason to appreciate the anciet wisdom of the Tao, and spend some time in selfless service for others. It’s a far more potent remedy for depression than any antidepressant!

The idea that depression is caused by a biochemical imbalance is pure myth. A myth that has made pharmaceutical companies trillions of dollars, at the expense of millions. The clinical research of Irving Kirsch puts it all in perspective:

There are now over 500 controlled clinical studies which demonstrate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating a wide variety of psychological problems. I’ve already mentioned in previous posts how CBT is recognized as the Goldstar treatment for depression and anxiety. It is based on a very simple principle: change the way you think and you change the way you feel.

One fascinating areas of study in CBT deals with cognitive styles. A cognitive style is an habitual way in which we filter information and draw conclusions about life experiences. One very powerful and influential cognitive style deals with perceived control. Individuals who have an “external locus of control” tend to believe that the experiences in their life are primarily driven by external factors, such as how others perceive or treat them, the economy, genetics etc. On the other hand, individuals with an “internal locus of control” tend to attribute responsibility for the quality of their life to internal factors, such as how they chose to think about and respond to the events of their life.

It should be of no surprise that individuals with a strong internal locus of control are less susceptible to anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. After all, such individuals tend to display more cognitive flexibility; they adjust their perceptions to maximize positive outcomes. They recognize that there’s often little they can do to change what happens out in the world, but they can always change the way they think about it. They have discovered the most powerful tool available for reducing stress: change the way you think.

Some of the most powerful shifts in perspective come to us come through the parables of Jesus. His stories are among the most famous in the entire world and stand the test of time. After all, who has not heard of “a good Samaritan” or “the prodigal son.” Jesus’ stories are entertaining and at the same time challenging and confrontational. They have a way of entertaining the conscious mind, while challenging a deeper part of us to rethink priorities, values, and core beliefs. His stories challenge us to think about life from a new perspective, and open the door to emotional, behavioral, and spiritual change.

It was for this reason I chose to develop the Healing With Parables program. It is a spiritual based CBT program for treating anxiety and chronic stress. The program integrates contemporary CBT tools with meditations which are based on the parables of Jesus. It offers the user a way to learn CBT tools for reducing anxiety and stress, and grow spiritually at the same time. Anyone can learn to reduce their stress and anxiety with a good CBT based program. Change the way you think, and you change the way you feel. The power is within you!

A recent large-scale study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry compiled data from over 100,000 children through personal interviews between the years 2009 – 2014. We have known for some time that prevalence rates for depression and anxiety are rapidly increasing among children and adolescents. This recent study, published just last month, found that by age 17, 13% of boys and an alarming 36% of girls had, or were, experiencing significant clinical depression.

There are many factors which contribute to the sharp increase in depression rates over the last several decades. One is, of course, the pharmaceutical companies’ contention that depression is all about “chemical imbalance”, even though there is no research to support this claim. It has been known for some time that over 75% of the positive effects of antidepressant medications are pure placebo (Irvin Kirsch, 1998). The simple fact is that most clinical depression is psychologically driven.

When we look at the psychological factors which contribute to the rapid rise in depression rates, one variable is no doubt the attitudes of entitlement which seem to be so prevalent in our society today. Entitlement is a self-destructive belief that because we desire something we deserve it, and we must have it now!

Entitlement beliefs are self-destructive because they support the illusion that happiness comes from the fulfillment of worldly desires. No amount of possessions or accomplishments can lead to lasting contentment or inner peace. Knowing this is what led Jesus to encourage his followers not to pursue earthly treasures, but rather to “store up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).

In the 7th verse of the Tao it is written:

“Serve the needs of others, and all your own needs will be fulfilled.”

A guaranteed formula for breaking free of depression involves challenging oneself to get up, get out, and do something positive for others. By being of service to others, we can break free from the depression that binds us. The positive power of serving rests in the old spiritual law of giving and receiving: we reap what we sow (Matthew 7:2). We are at our best when we give ourselves fully in service to others:

Healing with Parables

Overcome Anxiety without Medication

I am proud to announce the release of my Healing With Parables program!

Healing With Parables is a spiritually based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for overcoming stress and anxiety without the need for medication.

In the coming months, I will be releasing a series of videos which take the mystery out of anxiety disorders and explain how CBT treats anxiety without the need for medication. If you or someone you know struggles with anxiety, or chronic stress, then I encourage you to check out my Healing With Parables program. Thanks for sharing this information with anyone you know who could benefit!

My first video is called “Anxiety Is Anticipatory.” In this 6 min. video, I will introduce you to CBT and explain why it is the Goldstar treatment for all anxiety disorders. Why does CBT treat anxiety so effectively? Well, the answer is quite simple…

In previous posts (Contemplations 13 & 20) I have addressed how clinical research over the last decade supports the power of mindfulness-based meditation practices for ameliorating virtually every kind of psychological suffering. You might recall that mindfulness-based stress reduction practices are based upon traditional Buddhist meditation strategies, which teach how to gently hold one’s awareness in the present moment, rather than allowing it to drift and fixate on the past or future.

The ancient philosopher Lao Tzu wrote several thousand years ago:

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past.

If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are living in the present.

The cognitive behavioral research (CBT) has in fact found that those who struggle with anxiety do spend an inordinate amount of time focused on “What if” thinking about the future. This pattern of thinking generates panic and generalized anxiety. On the other hand, individuals who struggle with depression tend to spend an inordinate amount of their mental time in the past, focusing on mistakes, inadequacies, disappointments, and failures. However, those who invest most of their mental focus in the present are healthier and more productive:

“The ability to be in the present moment

is a major component of mental wellness.” (Abraham Maslow Ph.D)

So why does meditation, and a present moment focus, have such powerful healing effects? The answer to this question can be found in the scriptural teachings of every major religion of the world. Every major religion of the world addresses the power of Divine Love, through which anything is possible, and how this love is found in the quiet stillness within.

Consider for a moment that Jesus is commonly thought of as a “healer.” This is a label he would no doubt vehemently reject. Jesus made it clear when he performed his miracles that it was not he who was responsible. He was always quick to point out that it was the faith of the receiver that made miracles possible.

“Go, it will be done just as you believed it would.

‘And his servant was healed at that very hour.”

(Matthew 8:13)

“Take heart daughter,” he said, “Your faith has healed you.”

(Matthew 9:22)

This is neither a small, nor insignificant distinction. Throughout his ministry, Jesus performed miracles as a way of teaching two powerful lessons about healing and positive change:

All positive change is the result of love – eternal unconditional love (God the Father) – to this there is no exception.

It is faith in the mind of the receiver that allows access to the unconditional love which makes healing possible.

Jesus alone never healed anyone. It was the unconditional love of the Father, which flowed through him, which made healing possible.

“Don’t you believe that I am in the father, and the father is in me? The words I say to you are not my own. Rather, it is the father living in me, who is doing his work.” –

(John 14:10)

Jesus had no ability to heal those whose minds were closed to the power of this love:

“He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” –

(Mark 6:5-6)

Now consider this same lesson from several different spiritual sources:

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

(The Buddha)

“There is a place in you where there is perfect peace.

There is a place in you where nothing is impossible.

There is a place in you where the strength of God abides.”

(ACIM, Lesson 47)

“Still your mind in me, still yourself in me,

and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.”

(The Bhagavad Gita)

“Truly, in remembering God do hearts find peace.”

(Quran 13: 28)

The essential point: there is no healing substitute for the power of a quiet mind immersed in the present moment. From a quiet mind flows a heart of unconditional love, through which anything is possible.

For those desiring to learn how to quite the mind there are many meditation tools available. I encourage you to check out the meditations available under the free resources tab on my web site. In addition, my new Healing With Parables program (available for download in my online store) offers eight very powerful meditations for calming the mind and relieving anxiety and stress. The world will be a much healthier place when every day we take a little time to:

I have always found it fascinating how different spiritual paths integrate to provide common wisdoms for personal and spiritual growth. Whether the teachings are thousands of years old (the Gita & the Gospels), or contemporary (A Course In Miracles), the wisdoms are the same. Equally fascinating is how modern science often serves to validate these spiritual wisdoms.

For example, clinical research over the last decade has discovered the power of mindfulness-based meditation practices for ameliorating virtually every kind of psychological suffering (see Contemplation #13). Mindfulness-based stress reduction practices are based upon traditional Buddhist meditation strategies, which teach how to gently hold one’s awareness in the present moment, rather than allowing it to drift and fixate on the past or future. This is a powerful skill to develop given that clinical research has also validated the observations of the ancient philosopher Lao Tzu who wrote several thousand years ago:

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past.

If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are living in the present.

Of course, these wise words echo the message of Jesus to his disciples when he said to them:

“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

(Matthew 6:34)

In fact, the benefits of regular meditation for emotional health and spiritual growth are addressed in all major spiritual texts, and by spiritual masters throughout recorded history. What follows is an example of an integration of seven major spiritual sources on the importance of meditation for personal and spiritual well being:

“Be still and know that I am God.”

(Psalms 46:10)

For…

“Man was meant to sit quietly and find his truth within.”

(The Tao, Verse 5)

Realizing…

“To the unmeditative, there is no tranquility.”

(The Gita, Verse 66)

*

“Peace come from within.

“Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future.

Concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

(The Buddha)

*

“Holiness does not abide with anyone attached by even a hair to the material realm.”

If your experience was anything like mine as a child, I can remember anticipating Valentine’s Day with a degree of excitement and dread. Excited at the possibility of receiving that very special valentine from that very special someone, and, of course, dreading the heartbreak if it didn’t come. I would eagerly wonder if I would get that special valentine and not just those required ones! You see, where I went to school Valentine’s Day parties required that if you gave a valentine to one classmate, you give a valentine to every classmate; you couldn’t leave anyone out. And of course those “required valentines” just didn’t mean a whole lot.

Valentine’s Day was originally set aside to commemorate St. Valentine, a third century Roman priest who was martyred and beheaded in Rome on February 14 in the year 273. St. Valentine was a compassionate priest who secretly married Christian couples and provided assistance to Christians in need. This was illegal at the time and so he was jailed for doing so. As the story goes, while imprisoned he healed, through the power of Christ Love, his jailer’s blind daughter. As a result, the jailer’s entire family converted to Christianity and were baptized by St. Valentine in his jail cell!

As you might imagine this didn’t set well with the emperor who ordered his execution. When St. Valentine failed to die after being beaten with clubs and pummeled with stones, he was beheaded. Just before his execution, he wrote a compassionate letter of encouragement to the jailer’s daughter signed: Love Forever, Your Valentine.

It wasn’t until the 14th century that St. Valentine’s Day became associated with romantic love. Now, just like Christmas and Easter, it’s difficult to celebrate the true meaning of Valentine’s Day without getting lost in the commercialism of the day; we can easily lose the deeper meaning of what St. Valentine’s Day is all about; a celebration of the healing power of Christ Love.

The power of love is a mysterious and miraculous thing. Millions of books have been written and songs sung about the power of love. And who among us has not suffered the pain of a broken heart? Wars are waged and lives lost in the name of love. Love is a powerful and mysterious thing; we crave it, we live for it, we die for it.

And yet with all its mystery, there are some simple truths about love. First, let us set the record straight: Love has never broken anyone’s heart, created pain, or demanded a single sacrifice. There is no sacrifice in love. Hearts are broken and pain created not by love, but the lack or loss of it.

So, as we prepare to celebrate the power of love this Valentine’s Day, perhaps it would be helpful to begin by defining just what love is:

Genuine love is Divine Creative Energy out of which all good manifests,

and eventually returns.

All that is good manifests from the energy of Love.

All life is the physical manifestation of Love.

All of creation is a reflection of the manifesting presence of Love.

If it is not wonderful and good, then it is not love, but rather the manifestation of loves opposite, which is fear. Make no mistake about it, we can lose ourselves in fear and fail to see the love that is within and all around us in every moment. But we can never be without it. The question is always how aware of it are we?

Jesus’s message to the world was ‘The kingdom of heaven is within you!’ And what is heaven but a state of awakened awareness of the perfect love, Divine Love, Christ Love, that is within us and all around us in every moment.

In A Course in Miracles, it is written;

“It is hard to understand what ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is Within You’ means.

The word ‘within’ is however unnecessary.

The kingdom of heaven is you.”

(4,3.1.2)

We are children born of Christ love. Perfect love is within us because perfect love is what we are.

Again, from The Course we are told:

“Teach only love, for that is what you are.”

(6,1,13)

The problem is we forget the truth about ourselves. We fall into a place of separation from the perfect love of which we have been created. As a result, we experience fear, and all the pain our fears create. We fall out of love and experience all the painful manifestations that come from living life outside of the loving energy of God’s creative power.

And so each Valentine’s Day we are given another opportunity to remember the truth about ourselves, and the power of perfect love through which we are all created. Another opportunity to celebrate the truth about ourselves and one another:

We are all individualizing manifestations of perfect love!

We are the children born of Christ,

We are children of the Divine.

This is not arrogance or wishful thinking. It is a simple statement of the truth about ourselves.

Again, from The Course we are told:

“Because of your fathers love you cannot forget him,

for you cannot forget what he has placed in your mind.

You have but to ask for this memory and you will remember!

(12,8.4.1)

But to remember means we must never forget the function of love which is always to

Unite,

To bring everything together into oneness.

To dispel separation.

This means there can be no “specialness.” It means we recognize we are all unique, but no one is “special.” God, our Father, loves no one of us more than another. He does not love Jesus more than he loves you or me. And so this is how we must love if we are to know love; we cannot exclude anyone from our love, and know love.

The Course reminds us:

“ If you would love unlike God,

who knows no special love,

how can you understand it.”

(15,5.3.2)

And so to remember the perfect love that is within us, we realize that genuine love is found in the “required valentines” and not in the “special” ones. Genuine love is found in the choice to love everyone; even those who would wish to do us harm. It’s in the choice to love everyone; even those that frustrate us, think differently from us, and irritate us.

In Psalm 23, we are reminded,

“God prepares a feast in the midst of his enemies, and my cup runneth over.”

So on this Valentine’s Day, a day set aside for the celebration of the power of love, here are a dozen heavenly Valentines, from A Course In Miracles(ACIM), sent to remind us of the truth about ourselves, and the power and nature of perfect love that lives eternally within each of us.

*******

ACIM Valentines

Love is all inclusive. To withhold even the smallest gift is not to know love’s purpose.

(ACIM 24,1.1.1)

The Christ in you is very still, and holds everyone unto Himself, that you may bless all living things and see their holiness, which is also your own.

(ACIM 24,5.6.7)

You are a work of God, and his work is wholly lovable and wholly loving. This is how you must come to think of yourself in your heart, for that is what you are.

( ACIM 13.,3.2.3)

God has given you a place in his mind that is yours forever. Your love is as limitless as his because it is his.

(ACIM 11,1.6.8)

God has given you everything. That is why there is no distinction between having the kingdom of God, and being the kingdom of God.

(ACIM 4,3.9,1.7)

When your mood tells you that you have chosen wrongly, and you will know that you have because you are not joyous.

In every case you will have thought wrongly in some way about your life, which God has created.

Think honestly about what you have thought, that God would not have thought.

Then say “this need not be” and remember you are a mirror of truth, in which God himself shines in perfect light.

(ACIM 4,4.2.3.4,9.1)

Where you look to find yourself is up to you. But, always remember that what you see in another, you will strengthen in yourself. Your patience with a brother or sister, is your patience with yourself.

(ACIM 5,6.11.3.4)

Only you can limit your creative power, but God wills to release it.

Therefore, do not withhold your gift to others, or you will withhold yourself from God.

(ACIM 7,9.1.1.3)

Only love is strong because it is undivided. The strong do not attack, because they see no need to do so.

(ACIM 12,5.1.1)

Love always leads to love.

There is the light of love in you which you can give as it was given you.

As you give it, you will lay aside the old world and find a new one.

And this new world is bright with the love which you have given it.

(ACIM 13,6.10.1 & 11,1.5.6)

There is no problem in any situation that faith in love will not solve. Is it not possible all your problems have been solved, but you have removed yourself from the solution?

(ACIM 17,7.2.1.4)

God is in your memory. Listen and you will hear. His voice will remind you that you are part of him. To remember is merely to restore to your mind what is already there. God will do his part if you will do yours. Seek to remember and nothing is beyond his will for you.

(ACIM 10,2.4. & 3,1.5)

*******

And so it is. We are children of Christ love. We have but to ask for the memory of God – the Christ in us – perfect love, and we will remember. We will awaken to the perfect love that is within us.

And so here is that “special” valentine all of our hearts crave. God’s special valentine to each of us this valentine’s day:

*********

My Dear Child

you are my love, you are my treasure.

I have written my eternal love upon your heart so that you will never be without it.

I will never leave you.

I am with you in every moment, and every breath.

Quiet your mind and listen and you will hear my eternal song of love to you.

Asked by his disciples to teach them how to pray, Jesus proceeded to give them the Lord’s Prayer. His prayer is an affirmation of truth. Truth about ourselves, our relationship to God, and our power and potential in the physical world.

Our Father

Jesus’ use of the words “Our Father” is certainly not meant to conjure up an image of an old man with a long gray beard! He is using the word “Father” to refer to a personal divine parent, who possesses the unconditional loving qualities of both mother and father.

Picture, for a moment, a mother who loves her child unconditionally. Now think of a father who also loves unconditionally. Combine these two into a divine parent and we have “Our Father.”

When you think of a mother and father, who loves unconditionally, what attributes come to mind? Wouldn’t such parents nurture and care for us? Would they not provide for our every need? Would they not guide, teach, affirm and comfort? And would they not seek to create with us, play with us, engage with us?! Would they not heal us and care for us when were sick, comfort us when we suffer, strengthen and support us when were frightened and alone? All of these qualities are inherent in Jesus’s words, “Our Father.”

Who art in heaven

With these words, Jesus is affirming that our spiritual father/mother both transcends creation and at the same time is always present within creation. Our father who art in heaven is:

Omniscient-all-knowing and all wise.

Omnipotent-the ultimate authority.

Omnipresent- within and all around us in every moment.

Our spiritual parent, “our father/mother” is all wise, always present, of ultimate authority, and reigns forever with love, compassion, kindness, and generosity. There is nothing our God does not long to share with us when we devote ourselves to him.

This is why Jesus said to his disciples,

“To know God, you must worship him in spirit.”

(John 4:23)

In the Kabbalah, it is written:

“The greatest impediment to the human spirit is the tendency to fixate our concept of God in a particular form. There is nothing that is not pervaded by the power of divinity.”

In Aramaic, hallowed means to set apart, and in this case for the purpose of adoration and reverence. Our God is formless and omnipresent. Therefore, to hallow his name is to create a space within us which is sacred and pure, and which occupies the center of our life.

Physically, this space is the inner Cathedral of the heart; our emotional center. Our hearts are the processing center for all emotions and literally the power plant for processing Christ love.

This is why Jesus said:

“Where your heart is, there your treasure is also.”

To hallow God’s name is to place him at the center of our heart; to devote everything that we say and do to the pursuit of knowing, honoring, and pleasing him. This devotional practice is beautifully reflected in this quote from A Course In Miracles:

“You are a work of God, and his work is wholly lovable and wholly loving.

This is how you must come to think of yourself in your heart, because this is what you are.”

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

Jesus said, “Behold, the kingdom of heaven is within you!”

And in the Gospel of Thomas, “the kingdom of heaven is spread out upon the earth, but man does not see it.”

Again, God is omnipresent – in everyone and everything in every moment. He is here and now and everywhere. There is no where we can go where God is not. God is within us and in the space between us.

In these words of our Lord’s Prayer, Jesus is declaring the Kingdom of God which is all around us in every moment! He is saying:

“Wake up and realize the Kingdom of Heaven is now! Awaken to the Kingdom of God, the perfect love of Christ that is within you and all around you. And as this awareness of the Kingdom comes into your consciousness, allow this perfect love to flow out into the world so that it is on earth as it is in heaven!”

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.”

and

“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” (John 6:30)

In this verse Jesus is clearly referring to our daily spiritual bread; our daily need for Christ love. Give to us this day the awareness of the Christ love we need to sustain us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

This is what Jesus meant when he said:

“Seek ye first the kingdom…”

Seek first to drink from the well of Christ love which springs eternally from the Cathedral of our heart space, and all our needs will be met! Every day we shall come into the inner Cathedral of silent meditation and replenish our soul with the Christ love through which all our needs are met, and where peace and joy reign eternally.

And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors

In this phrase of our Lord’s Prayer Jesus leads us to focus on the spiritual law of giving and receiving. He reminds us:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For the extent to which you judge you shall be judged” (Matthew 7:1-2)

We are being reminded that it is only through a willingness to forgive that we are set free. In this verse, “debt” is referring to grievances, judgments, angers, resentments, and envies. As we let go of judgments and grievances, Christ love is restored and we reconnect with our source. To hold grievance blocks the flow of Christ love and separates us from God’s love.

This lesson is beautifully presented in ACIM lesson number 68:

“You who were created by love like itself can hold no grievance and know thyself.

To hold a grievance is to forget who you are.

To hold a grievance is to split yourself off from your source.”

As we forgive the grievances we hold against others, our mind reawakens to love, for we reap what we sow.

And Lead Us Not into Temptation But Deliver Us from Evil

This is a very interesting phrase in our Lord’s Prayer. At first glance it would appear as if we are asking our Lord not to lead us into temptation! As if our God might lead us into temptation to teach us a lesson or, worse yet, punish us for our transgression.

Would a loving parent think this way? Nonsense! To accurately interpret the meaning of this phrase requires we interpret the first half based upon the declaration in the second half:

“Deliver us from evil!”

Any thought or action which separates us from love is evil. Evil is that which is created by man in a state of conscious separation from the Christ love of their source. No matter what temptation, desire, or evil might arises in the mind of man, it is transcended when we sincerely give it over and surrender it to the power of Christ love.

In ACIM we are taught that all illusions must be carried to truth, and through this process we are set free. An illusion is any thought or action which occurs separate from Christ love (evil). Through the awareness of the power of Christ love within us, we are released from all evil and our separation from God is healed. Now we are delivered from all temptation and led away from that which would harm us, and we are protected from any evil that might surround us.

The omnipresent Christ love which is within and around us in every moment and in every breath. Our eternal source, our daily bread. There is nothing we need that is not given and nothing need be feared for life is eternal. We are reminded in the Gita:

“The one who dwells in the bodies of all is eternal. Grieve not therefore for any created being.”

And the Power

The omnipotent one. The ultimate authority. The unconditional love, kindness, and compassion through which anything is possible for those who believe:

“For he or she who believes, nothing will be impossible.”

And the Glory Forever

The omniscient: the all-knowing and all wise. This is the word of God, the way it has been, is, and shall forever be.

Amen

This is the truth of every child born of Christ love. It is our story and we’re sticking to it!

When you think of Christmas, what comes to mind? For most of us, our thoughts of Christmas are intimately tied to our Christmas past. We all have a Christmas past; a personal history of Christmas experiences which color and define our expectations for the season. As a result, we all experience the season differently.

Many get caught in the commercialism of the season. For some, the holidays are something to be endured, and its greatest joy is getting through it. For some, it is a time of loneliness and grief. And then there are those for which the season is a time of family celebrations and joyful reunions, while for others the season brings out their deepest family dysfunction.

In whatever way we experience this holiday we call Christmas, one thing is true: the quality of our holiday experience is profoundly shaped by our expectations, which are a byproduct of our Christmas past. We come into the season with an expectation of what Christmas “should be” or “has been,” and this shapes our experience of the Christmas present.

However, at any given time, if we choose, Christmas can be a time of spiritual renewal. A time to take pause, calm down, and reflect deeply on the truth about ourselves. A time to let go of the past and all expectations, and open our mind to remembering that we are all children born of Christ’s love–children of the Divine. It can be a time for reflecting on the gift of Divine Love, which for a brief time in our history manifested with absolute perfection through the life of a baby, child, teacher, prophet, and brother we call Jesus.

This Christmas, let us take pause and reflect on the Christ in the Christmas present. Let us begin by recognizing that the Christ in the manger was not a helpless little baby. Jesus was the helpless little baby, and yet in and through his helplessness shown the omnipresent consciousness of God.

On that first Christmas morning, Christ, the unconditional and eternal love of our Creator, was shown through the baby Jesus for all the world to see. God gave his gift of perfect love to the world, wrapped in the form of a baby named Jesus.

For those who are open and ready to receive it, the Christmas gift of Divine love is offered anew each and every Christmas. And in fact it is offered us anew every day, in every moment, in every breath that we breathe.

For the spiritually awakened, Christmas (and Easter) are everyday celebrations! The problem is we get busy, we get distracted, we close our eyes and ears and we forget the truth. And so every year the holiday season comes round once more to remind us of the Christ in the Christmas present; the gift of eternal Divine love which is ours for the asking.

With this Christmas comes another opportunity to awaken to the truth that the eternal unconditional love of God, through which anything is possible, is flowing abundantly within us and all around us! The perfect love that is shown unobstructed through our brother Jesus is the same love that shines within you and me. The question is never “Is Christ in you or is Christ in me? The question is always how aware are we of the Christ within us?

So let us take some moments this Christmas to reflect on the Christ in the Christmas present; the perfect love that is within and all around us in every moment of every day. The Christ that is in the air that we breathe, in every person we see, in everything that we do and possess. The Christ that is in me, in you, and in all the space which seems to separate us.

In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus is quoted to say:

“The kingdom of heaven is within you and all around you.”

Jesus spoke these words to his closest disciples to remind them of the Christ in the Christmas present. To remind them that the Christmas present was not he, the man, but the living Christ (perfect love) which flowed through him, each of them, and every one of us as well! God’s Christmas present to the world is his unconditional love, which flowed with perfection through the baby and life of Jesus, and flows eternally within each of us.

A true celebration of Christmas is an awakening to the awareness that we are all born of Christ love; we are children of the Divine. Christmas is a time to love Jesus, awaken to the Christ within us, and fall to our knees and worship God the creator from which our Christ love flows.

Again from the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus is quoted to say,

“I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have measured out”

In these words Jesus is saying to his disciples, “You have become intoxicated by the perfect love of Christ that flows through me, and because of this you seek to make me your master, to worship me and make me your King. Worship not I the man, but awaken to the Christ in you, which is also in me, and fall to your knees and worship the father from which Christ love flows!”

To celebrate Christmas merely as the birth of Jesus is like receiving the most incredible gift imaginable, in the most beautiful of wrappings. And because we become so intoxicated with the beauty of the wrappings, we put the gift on our mantle and never open it!

My friends, our Christmas present is Christ! It is the perfect love which lives eternally in the cradle of every human heart, and which is received in the inner cathedral of silent meditation. Far too many celebrate Christmas, but never open their Christmas present!

To receive the Christ in the Christmas present, we must dive deep into the silence of our heart and discover the inner cathedral of Divine love, where Christ love flows eternal. To see Christmas merely as the celebration of Jesus’s birth, or worse yet to get lost in commercialism and holiday stress, is an insult to God; it is a rejection of his Christmas gift.

Let us make no mistake, every human heart craves for Christ love. When we reject God’s Christmas gift, we have no choice but to settle for shabby substitutes. Now we must seek for the love we crave outside ourselves in the form of sex, money, power, prestige, possessions, drugs… anything that might fill us up and make us feel complete, special, and secure.

Of course there is no substitute for Christ love; nothing else can satisfy our cravings. And so without the Christmas gift of the Christ within, we become prisoners to sense desires, and our relationships buckle, bend, and eventually break under the stress of neediness and loveless acts. .

Christmas is a time for reflection; a time to slow down, take pause, and remember that the love we need must be found within ourselves. Attempts to find the Christ love we crave in one another is what burdens and destroys relationships. God created relationships for the purpose of sharing and celebrating the Christ love which lives and flows abundantly within each of us. Our relationships were never intended to be the source of our love, but rather opportunities for the celebration of it. When we lose this awareness, our relationships suffer.

This holiday season let us take time to dive deep into the inner silence of our own heart. Let us seek and find the Christ in our Christmas present, which lives on the altar of the inner cathedral of silent meditation, and allow this perfect love to shine through each of us as it did the baby Jesus on that first Christmas morn.

And having discovered the Christ in our Christmas present, let us immediately give it away. For we know that in order to keep Christ’s love, we must continually give it away, and remain open to seeing it in everyone and everything. And with this new awakening let…

Every Christmas light reminds us of the divine light of Christ love which burns eternally within us.

Every Christmas star awaken us to the truth that we are Christ children born of eternal love.

Every Christmas wreath deepen our appreciation for the perfect peace of Christ which is always as close as our next breath.

Every Christmas gift exchange be a symbolic reminder that the more love we give, the more love we receive.

Every Christmas greeting be a verbal altar upon which we extend our gratitude for the Christ in the Christmas present; God’s eternal gift of unconditional love.

With every retelling and reenactment of the Christmas story, let our Christ awareness deepen and expand.

And let us allow

The greenery of the season to be a joyful reminder that life is eternal and death need not be feared, nor does death have the power to separate us from those we truly love.

My friends, Christ lives in every breath and in every atom and every cell of our body. Christ lives in everyone we meet and in the space which seems to separate us. May this Christmas be the time in which we open our Christmas present and discover God’s gift of Christ love; the love through which we were created.